Folding chair



Patented April 26, I881.

Lu L 3 m T m R Am B 0 w. m 0 w N (No Model.)

PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS BARTELL, OF TWO RIVERS, VVISOONSIN.

FOLDING CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,498, dated April 26, 1881. Application filed August 19, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom tt may concern Be it known that I, NICHOLAS BARTELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Chairs 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to o which it appertains to make and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. My invention relates to improvements in folding chairs.

The object of my improvements is to attain greater strength, simplicity of construction, and at the same time promote the ease of the chair to its occupant.

I Heretofore it has been common to construct folding chairs with many movable joints, and to provide numerous bars or bands to brace and retain the chair in its proper position when occupied. It has also been common to provide the arms, legs, braces, &c., with elongated slots for the reception of the bolts or pivots forming the joints, to permit the lateral movements required in folding and unfolding the chair.

It is obvious that the several parts are weakened and the beauty of the chair is marred by i the elongated slots, and additional labor is required in forming them. The several braces 3 5' necessitate the use of bolts and joints otherwise superfluous, and add tothe amount of labor and material, while they detract from the beauty and simplicity of the construction of the chair. By my improvement but one joint is required, no pieces are required in addition to the back, seat, and legs for braces, and all elongated slots are dispensedwit-h. My chair is composed solely of two rigid i11- flexible pieces, one of which pieces forms the 5 back, side arms, and front legs. The other forms the seat and rear legs, which two pieces are connected together by a single movable joint. y My invention is further explained by refer- 5o ence to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view. Fig.

2 is a longitudinal section, representing the chair as folded. Fig. 3 is a side view.

Like parts are represented by the same reference-letters throughout the several views.

seat formed in the ordinary manner.

O is the back of the chair.

D D are the front legs, which extend upward above the seat, forming side arms thereto, and are rigidly secured to the back 0 by pins E E E E. 6

The respective parts being thus formed, they are connected together, as shown, solely by the bolts or pivots F F, which form the only movable joint in the chair.

The locking device, or device by which the chair is retained in its proper position to be occupied, is formed by attaching the back'O and side arms, D D, to each other in the peculiar relative position shown, whereby the lower end of the back is brought several inches in rear of the side arms. The bolts F form a fulcrum to the seat, and as the seat is pressed downward by the weight of the occupant the legs or bars B B are thrown upward against the lower end of the back, as shown in Fig.3, and thus retain the seatin its proper position to be occupied. V

I am aware that a seat and the rear legs of a chair have previously been constructed in a single piece, as shown by Patent No 148,230; 8 5 but in said patented invention the front legs and back are formed in separate pieces, which are connected by flexible joints in such a manner that braces are required to .retain the chair in.a proper position to be occupied, and slots 0 are'required to permit the chair to be folded.

It is obvious, therefore, that by thus attaching the back to the side arms or legs, D D, braces and elongated slots become unnecessary, and the general construction-of the chair is greatly 5 simplified.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a folding chair, the rear legs and seat in one rigid frame, in combination with the front legs and side arms, and the back composed of a single rigid frame, the legs crossing each In testimony whereof I affixmy signature other and pivoted together, and the back he in presence of two witnesses. ing rigidly attached to the side arms in the NICHOLAS BARTELL manner described, whereby the lower end of the back projects in the rear of the side arms Witnesses:

and forms a stop to limit the unfolding of the l P. F. RICHTER, legs, as set forth. 0. H. J OHANNES. 

